Graycliff Restaurant named Best in the Caribbean

Winning restaurant serves Continental cuisine with a Bahamian twist

The Caribbean is a melting pot of cultures and ethnic influences, and that diversity is reflected in its food. Culinary gems here range from fine dining to beachside seafood shacks serving up dishes good enough to make even the most discerning foodie swoon. We asked a panel of Caribbean travel experts to nominate their favorite restaurants in the region, and for the past four weeks, 10Best readers have been voting for their favorites.

Graycliff RestaurantNassau, Bahamas

An inimitable Nassau experience, Graycliff Restaurant is a five-star dining establishment serving Continental cuisine with a Bahamian twist. The dining experience feels like you are settling into an intimate dinner party with friends at their historic, colonial-style mansion – that just so happens to house an award-winning wine cellar.Photo courtesy of Graycliff Hotel & Restaurant

SUI-RENTurks and Caicos

One of three restaurants at The Shore Club in Turks and Caicos, SUI-REN offers fine dining from Executive Chef Martin Davies. The menu fuses Peruvian and Japanese flavors into dishes like conch and shrimp cilantro chowder, flame-grilled meats with Peruvian mole, seafood tempura and grilled steaks with miso jus.Photo courtesy of Sui Ren Shore Club Dining / Facebook

Sheer RocksAntigua

Perched atop a sunset-facing bluff, Sheer Rocks specializes in tapas, cocktails and an a la carte menu with dishes made from locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. Everything is handmade in house, and all the seafood is line-caught or hand dived.Photo courtesy of Sheer Rocks

Bistrot CaraibesSaint Martin

This French restaurant in Grand-Case has become of one Saint Martin's most popular dining establishments. The seafood-centric menu includes lobster pulled from a fountain out front, served grilled, garlic butter braised or thermidor.Photo courtesy of Bistrot Caraibes

Emilio'sSint Maarten

A new arrival to the Dutch Sint Maarten dining scene, Emilio’s sits at the base of Rainforest Adventure Park. The lunch and dinner menus, created by Chef Dino Jagtiani, feature items like Nantucket Bay scallop ceviche, curried shrimp flatbread pizza and short rib bolognaise with pappardelle.Photo courtesy of Emilio's / Facebook

SapodillaNassau, Bahamas

The Sapodilla Estate in the Bahamas offers fine dining in several dining rooms, all to the sounds of live music. House specialties on the European and Bahamian-inspired menu include blackened conch, honey ginger-glazed buck breast, fresh local stone crab claws, Abaco craked lobster and Steak Diane prepared tableside.Photo courtesy of Sapodilla Restaurant / Facebook

balterSt. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

Fresh, locally sourced ingredients and an elegant, understated environment make balter a favorite on the island of St. Croix. Chef Brian Wisbauer prepares contemporary West Indian cuisine with an always evolving menu, often with ingredients foraged from the island's rainforest, mangroves and ocean.Photo courtesy of Tom Kirkman / balter

Gladys' CafeSt. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Situated in the historic Royal Dane mall on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Gladys’ Cafe serves a variety of playful American and Caribbean dishes, like conch fritters, jerk chicken, grilled mahi mahi and curry chicken roti. The restaurant also bottles their own hot sauces.Photo courtesy of Gladys' Cafe / Facebook

BB's CrabbackGrenada

Opened in 2006, BB’s Crabback on the island of Grenada specializes in Caribbean flavors. The signature dish, the Curried Caribbean Special, features tender goat meat simmered in a spice-infused coconut curry sauce.Photo courtesy of BB's Crabback

Elements RestaurantAruba

The spectacular oceanfront setting at Elements complements the menu of globally-inspired dishes made from sustainable and locally grown ingredients. Local Aruban classics are served weekly during Sunday evening Local Arts - Local Eats events.Photo courtesy of Elements Restaurant / Facebook

The top 10 winners in the Best Restaurant in the Caribbean category are as follows:

A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Melanie Reffes and Chelle Koster Walton (10Best Local Expert) were chosen for their knowledge of the Caribbean.

The Experts

Melanie Reffes

Melanie Reffes is a seasoned travel journalist specializing in the Caribbean. She is often circling the globe in search of a good story or racing through airports trying to make a flight. Melanie is a contributor to USA TODAY Travel and CaribbeanTravel.com , she covers the Caribbean for Montreal's The Suburban newspaper and she is the author of the blog ' The Caribbean Romance Report' on MarryCaribbean.com. When she she's not taking five the under a palm tree, you'll find her at home on the sunny island of Montreal. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Melanie Reffes

Melanie Reffes is a seasoned travel journalist specializing in the Caribbean. She is often circling the globe in search of a good story or racing through airports trying to make a flight. Melanie is a contributor to USA TODAY Travel and CaribbeanTravel.com , she covers the Caribbean for Montreal's The Suburban newspaper and she is the author of the blog ' The Caribbean Romance Report' on MarryCaribbean.com. When she she's not taking five the under a palm tree, you'll find her at home on the sunny island of Montreal. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Chelle Walton

Chelle Koster Walton took her first Caribbean trip to Jamaica in the 1970s and has been in love with the region ever since. Author of the award-winning Caribbean Ways: A Cultural Guide, she served as contributing editor and contributor for Caribbean Travel & Life magazine for more than 15 years. Two-time winner of the Bahamas Cacique Award for International Writer, Walton is also the author of Explorers Guide: The Bahamas and a guidebook app about Nassau.

Chelle Walton

Chelle Koster Walton took her first Caribbean trip to Jamaica in the 1970s and has been in love with the region ever since. Author of the award-winning Caribbean Ways: A Cultural Guide, she served as contributing editor and contributor for Caribbean Travel & Life magazine for more than 15 years. Two-time winner of the Bahamas Cacique Award for International Writer, Walton is also the author of Explorers Guide: The Bahamas and a guidebook app about Nassau.